Jenn: Eating Bender

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jenn and I write the food blog called Eating Bender. I am so excited to have the chance to do a guest post for Angela!

Currently, I am finishing out my last week of college…ever. I attend school in Chicago and am graduating on June 19 with a broadcast journalism degree. Although I am actually planning on a career in public relations or marketing, I feel that the skills I’ve learned as a journalist will follow me in whatever career path I take, and I could not be happier about my major.

The reason I’m telling you this? Well, as luck would have it, I had the opportunity to take a class on photojournalism to end my senior year. At first, I thought it would be a great chance for me to take a lot of really cool food pictures with the nice camera we get to rent out for the quarter. I soon realized, however, that photojournalism is about so much more than that! It’s about documenting real moments with real people – not just really good sushi :)

Along the way, I have tried to take what I’ve learned from being a food blogger and apply it to my quest to become a photojournalist. I’ve come up with a list of what works best for me, and I hope that it will help some of you, whether you’re a fellow photo blogger or a secret photographer at heart! (P.S. This is a sneak peak at my final photojournalism project, which I will post on my blog soon!)

The Rules of Ph"ood"ojournalismRule #1: In a photo series, it’s a good idea to provide context for the subject you are photographing.

Rule #2: Work those angles! Try to capture your subject from a unique point of view.

Rule #3: Not all subjects have to have faces :) Capture something that adds information to your story.

Rule #5: Capture emotion as much as possible when shooting people. It adds so much to the scene!

Wide:

Medium/Tight:

Rule #6: Lighting matters. If you can find a window or natural light source, your pictures will turn out 100% better. A flash can’t capture the beauty of food (I’m serious!) as much as the sun can.

[Angela’s note: Guys this is soooo crucial and is why I am always grumpy when I have to shoot a bakery goodie at night time- it never turns out nice! I think it is the number 1 tip I have learned!]

Yes, please!!

And finally, because 7 is my lucky number… Rule #7: When the environment around you is cluttered, shoot vertically and get close to your focus.

Oh, and the unspoken rule is: There are no rules!! Really, these are just some of the small things I’ve learned along the way that have helped me become more confident in my photographing abilities. I still have a lot to learn about how to get the settings on my fancy camera just right, but I am glad that I was given the opportunity to learn more about "what it takes" to make it as a photojournalist. Let me tell you…it’s not easy!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to post on Oh She Glows, Angela!

I leave you with my self-portrait :)

Are you interested in photography? Do you think much about it when snapping a picture?

I have really enjoyed taking pictures of my food. I love using natural light as much as possible. I am longing to get a different camera at this point to get more creative with my picture taking. Sometimes the food looks so good I become complacent and just take the pic and dig in. Great cupcake pictures. They remind me of why America is America.

I’ve always been a big photography buff. Sadly, I don’t get to do very much of it anymore as I am possibly the only person on earth who still remains devoted to her film camera and film developing prices (at least good developing) have gotten sky high.

I’m finally willing to buy a digital but to get the quality and control I want from a camera I’d need to spend a lot more money than I can afford right now. I am so behind the times it’s ridiculous.

I love this post. Such great photos and tips. I learning the outside light trick about 6 months ago and now I take most of my food pictures on my back deck rather than in the house. The sunlight is sooo so much better than indoor light.

Great post :)
I’m a photographer so yes, I LOVE photography. :) It’s not easy trying to make a living out of it, but I’m trying anyway.. I think it’s worth it. I’ve had photojournalism classes and yep, you have it figured out. :) Now it’s just practice practice practice!
Great shots.

Is the last one the bean? In Millenium park? My husband is from Chicago and the last time we were there his boss took a similar “self portrait” in the bean that had the entire city in the reflection. It was so neat!

Great tips, Jenn! Thanks so much! I’m shopping for a new digital camera now that I’m taking many more photos of my foods but I don’t even know where to start. Ideally, I’d like a camera that I can fit into my purse (even if it has to be a large purse!) so any tips would be appreciated!!